Cabbage Patch Kids step back into mainstream with Skechers

The Cabbage Patch Kids have walked a long road since their heyday in the 1980s, so new shoes wouldn't hurt. Jakks Pacific, which owns the brand, announced a licensing agreement with footwear company Skechers, which will see the dolls wearing miniature versions of Skechers' Twinkle Toes shoes, as well as backpacks and other apparel.

The Cabbage Patch Kids have walked a long road since their heyday in the 1980s, so new shoes wouldn’t hurt.

Jakks Pacific, the California-based toy maker that owns the Cabbage Patch Kids brand, announced a licensing agreement with footwear company Skechers, which will see the dolls wearing miniature versions of Skechers’ Twinkle Toes light up shoes, as well as backpacks and other apparel.

The deal will also bring Skechers-inspired products into the Jakks’ miWorld Universe. Alongside the girls tween fashion store Claire’s and ice cream shop Dairy Queen, girls can build their own Skechers mini-replica store with their miWorld Mall DreamPlay app.

Cabbage Patch dolls have proven their staying power with consumers, though rights have changed hands from Hasbro to Mattel to Toys ‘R’ Us over the decades. Jakks, which became the rights holders when it acquired toyco Play Along in 2004, hopes the dolls will be part of its turnaround to profitability in 2014. Jakks announced a net loss of US$53.9 million for 2013, amid company restructuring, and a US$119.5 million loss for the year prior. Sales have risen the past two quarters, however, thanks in part to sales of dresses and dolls based on the hit Disney movie, Frozen.